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Before The BrightnessAnaïs Mitchell started making waves in the folk world with Hymns for the Exiled. It is a rare thing when a songwriter can deliver a powerful political message without compromise to the songs' poetic value. Mitchell's fusion of American roots music with high literary sensibility and broad cultural/political understanding is something new. An enormous presence on the stage, with a mix of girlishness and fierce intellect, Anaïs is utterly disarming. The raw, sweet timbre of her voice and serene picking style draw you in, and her dazzling lyrics keep you there.

"Not since Bob Dylan's early years has a 23 year old songwriter had such power and meaning. Hymns for the Exiled comes to us from both sides of a story, here and there, inside and out. With literary aplomb, she gives us footnotes in the artwork, so that we can do our reading and catch up with her. Political and poetic, personal and universal, Anaïs Mitchell's work is my latest obsession. Look for her influence on my future projects."

-Jonathan Byrd [songwriter]

Released:Sptember 2004

1. Before the Eyes of Storytelling Girls
2. 1984
3. Cosmic American
4. The Belly and the Beast
5. Orion
6. Mockingbird
7. I Wear Your Dress
8. Quecreek Flood
9. A Hymn for The Exiled
10. Two Kids
11. One Good Thing